Song of the Day: Blues in the Night

The song of the day for Thursday, August 9, 2018 is “Blues in the Night.”

About This Song

“Blues in the Night” was written in 1941 by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the film of the same name. Arlen wrote the music first and wrote a true blues song. Johnny Mercer, who later wrote the lyrics, drew on his southern heritage to write the great lyrics.

About This Version

This is Tony Bennett’s first recording of “Blues in the Night” on his 1957 album The Beat of My Heart (his other recording was in 2001 for Playin’ With My Friends: Tony Bennett Sings the Blues).

For The Beat of My Heart, Bennett asked noted drummers and percussionists to record with him; this recording featured the great Jo Jones.

“Blues in the Night,” as well as The Beat of My Heart, is available from iTunes.